News from the IPL
INTRODUCTION
This newsletter is published by The Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, and sponsored by the Ministry of Research and Innovation. The views and ideas expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Ontario Government.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Premier McGuinty Launches Innovative Institute for Cancer Research
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty recently celebrated the official launch of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), the first collaborative research institute in Canada to focus efforts on the entire spectrum of cancer issues — from prevention right through to treatments. The government is investing $142 million over four years to create the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. Working with public and private sector partners, researchers from across the province will work together on a coordinated strategy to fight cancer — from the need for better prevention and early detection to more targeted diagnosis and more effective treatments. As a major hub for cancer research, the OICR will also partner with other leading provincial, national and international cancer research institutions to advance research opportunities.
Government of Canada Releases 20-Year Framework to Enhance Canadian Aerospace Competitiveness
The Honourable Jean-C. Lapierre, Minister of Transport and Minister responsible for Quebec, on behalf of Industry Minister David L. Emerson, recently released the National Aerospace and Defence Strategic Framework, a 20-year vision aimed at helping leaders in the aerospace, defence and space sectors identify where and how they can be globally competitive. The Framework was developed through close collaboration between stakeholders across the federal community, and in consultation with industry leaders through the Canadian Aerospace Partnership, whose membership includes senior executives from aerospace and defence (A&D) companies, labour groups and academia, as well as five provincial governments. The Strategic Framework endorses the vision, and reflects the key success factors, presented by CAP members.
Editor's Pick
Building Global Knowledge Pipelines: The Role of Temporary Clusters
Peter Maskell, Harald Bathelt and Anders Malmberg, DRUID
Business people and professionals come together regularly at trade fairs, exhibitions, conventions, congresses, and conferences. Here, their latest and most advanced findings, inventions and products are on display to be evaluated by customers and suppliers, as well as by peers and competitors. Participation in events like these helps firms to identify the current market frontier, take stock of relative competitive positions and form future plans. Such events exhibit many of the characteristics ascribed to permanent spatial clusters, albeit in a temporary and intensified form. These short-lived hotspots of intense knowledge exchange, network building and idea generation can thus be seen as
temporary clusters. The present paper compares temporary clusters with permanent clusters and other types of inter-firm interactions. If regular participation in temporary clusters can satisfy a firm’s need to learn through interaction with suppliers, customers, peers and rivals, why is the phenomenon of permanent spatial clustering of similar and related economic activity so pervasive?
Innovation Policy
Governance of Innovation Systems Volume 2: Case Studies in Innovation Policy
OECD
This book presents case studies of governance of innovation policy in selected OECD countries. It reviews the ongoing changes in these countries with a focus on providing an analysis of governance challenges, institutional changes and policy learning practices. The book provides fresh insight into the emerging third-generation of innovation policy and how governments strive for making innovation policy more coherent. (Note: this item is read only)
Governance of Innovation Systems Volume 3: Case Studies in Cross-Sectoral Policy
OECD
This book provides lessons from case studies in policy governance for the information society and sustainable development. It highlights important lessons from these policy areas for the governance of innovation policy, and illustrates mechanisms and practices for better co-ordination and integration across policy areas. (Note: this item is read only)
Elvira Uyarra, PREST
This paper provides a critical discussion of some theoretical and policy issues related to regional development and innovation policy. It draws upon the ‘new regionalist’ perspective to examine certain aspects and problems associated with such a strategic view of regions. The paper first outlines the main theoretical arguments underpinning the main positions from the new regionalist literature. Some of the as-sumptions inherent in these perspectives, particularly the globalization and competitiveness imperative, issues of scale and particularly the importance of tacit knowledge in explaining regional competitiveness and agglomeration, are examined here. Secondly, the paper focuses on issues of policy articulation and priority setting, concluding with some relevant questions for policy design.
The Knowledge Economy
Canada Challenged: Building a Culture of Adaptation and Innovation for 2020
Strephen Murgatroyd, Foresight Canada
This paper examines three major issues. First, it explores the state of Canada’s current innovation eco-system and provides an analysis that suggests that the system is challenged and needs a systematic and focused approach to change aimed at securing a greater, sustainable economic return from innovation investments and activities. Second, the paper looks at the challenges innovators will face in 2020 and asks not just what these challenges will be, but what they will lead to in terms of building a culture of adaptation, resilience and transformation. Finally, the paper explores the implications of these first two questions for the culture of communities in Canada – the communities that support innovation.
Cities, Clusters & Regions
Local Governance and the Drivers of Growth
OECD
Innovation, skills, entrepreneurship and social cohesion are key drivers of growth, and essential goals of effective economic development strategies. Each has a strong governance component, which requires real partnership between government, business and civil society. In this book, the OECD has brought together top world experts to translate policy lessons into concrete recommendations that will help policy makers and practitioners make the best governance decisions to stimulate growth. (Note: this item is read only)
Statistics & Indicators
Global Links: Multinationals, Foreign Ownership and Productivity Growth in Canadian Manufacturing
Statistics Canada
This paper examines two potential benefits of foreign-controlled plants in the Canadian manufacturing sector: the superior performance of foreign-controlled plants and their productivity spillovers to domestic plants. It finds that foreign-controlled plants are more productive, more innovative, more technology intensive, pay higher wages and use more skilled workers. This foreign-ownership advantage is found to be a multinational advantage. What matters for economic performance is whether plants belong to multinational enterprises (MNEs) rather than ownership. Canadian multinationals are as productive as foreign multinationals. The paper also finds that MNEs have accounted for a disproportionately large share of productivity growth in the last two decades. Finally, there is robust evidence for productivity spillovers from foreign-controlled plants to domestic-controlled plants arising from increased competition and greater use of new technologies among domestic plants.
Events
Discovery 2006: Bridging the Innovation to Commercialization Gap
Toronto, 7 February, 2006
Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc. brings leading edge innovators and thought leaders together in an annual conference. Discovery 2006: Bridging the Innovation to Commercialization Gap assembles the world’s best from business, academia and government to explore issues around innovation, collaboration and commercialization — both within Ontario and globally. From practical to policy, from hands-on to hypothetical, Discovery 2006 will bring together the issues and the people that drive innovation to commercial and competitive outcomes.
Ottawa, 16 – 17 May, 2006
The Statistics Canada Socio-economic Conference provides an annual forum for empirical research focusing on issues of concern to Canadian public policy. The conference focuses on studies discussing: emerging economic trends and their underlying causes;
and the social implications of economic trends and the ability of various groups to participate in the economy. Topics relevant to the Conference include, but are not restricted to, innovation; productivity; international trade; agriculture; environment-economy linkages; natural resources and energy; transportation; industrial development; urban and rural development; health; education; families; income and wealth and their distribution; and labour markets. The Conference focuses on studies directly relevant to Canada, while at the same time welcoming comparative international studies that shed light on Canadian public policy issues. It places a premium on empirical studies making innovative use of Canadian data.
Changing Foresight Practices in Regional Development: Global Pressures and Regional Possibilities
Turku, Finland, 7-9 June, 2006
The future of regions is dependent on proactive interaction between companies, universities and public actors. The aim of the conference is to discuss the different strategic possibilities of regions under the rapidly changing pressures of globalizing world. The key questions are: How regional actors can cope in a global economy? What are the new ways to study and explore the future of regions? How to enhance regional co-operation and networking? What are the strategic keys to prosperous regional futures? Does creativity strengthen regions? How general foresight and development theories can strengthen regional development in practice? How companies can shape their regional strategies in globalizing economy? The conference will consist of several keynote addresses and parallel sessions.
Athens, Greece, 11-14 June, 2006
The 2006 International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM) Conference will be held in Athens this summer. Many topics will be discussed such as: academic-industry networks for innovation, learning and the entrepreneurial mindset, managing knowledge, SMEs: opportunities & threats, public policy to stimulate networks. Deadline for submitting an abstract: January 27, 2006.
The Future of Science Technology and Innovation Policy
Sussex, 11-13 September, 2006
This conference, besides celebrating the 40th Anniversary of SPRU (Science and Technology Policy Research), offers the opportunity to engage in a critical evaluation of the present and future research agenda of the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) field. This conference seeks to explore empirical, theoretical and applied policy approaches that can enable us to conceptualize the contradictory nature of modern science and technology and innovation, and thus provide practical policy guidance. Such a conference is particularly timely because many of the existing conceptual frameworks are apparently undergoing a period of what Kuhn called ‘normal science’ where their assumptions are rarely questioned, and where they are institutionally and academically isolated from criticism. We aim to identify fruitful new ways forward in the field of STI policy by subjecting these established frameworks to structured debate and critical evaluation. The conference will be organised in the form of plenary sessions, parallel sessions and set debates. It will cover a series of broad themes. These include: Ownership, Accountability and Relevance of Science – for example, the deficiencies of peer review, the pros and cons of patenting in universities, the shifting boundary between public and private knowledge, and processes for allocating resources between disciplines. Technology, Security and Sustainability – for example, the dual relationship between technology and security, changing environment and energy policy, the balance between sustainability and growth, and the role of technology in sustainable development. Dynamics of Innovation Interfaces – for example, the management and dynamics of innovation across different levels (such as individuals, groups, firms, sectors, networks and systems), user-centred innovation processes vs. producer-centred innovation processes, and the connection between innovation and entrepreneurship.
New Generation Innovation: New Approaches and Policy Designs – Call for papers 
Atlanta, 27-29 September, 2006
Particular areas of interest include: new developments in university-industry relationships, new strategies for technology-based local and regional economic development, technology transfer to and from the public sector, trajectories for emerging technologies. All session proposals, paper proposals and abstracts should be submitted electronically not later than Friday, May 12, 2006.
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This newsletter is prepared by Jen Nelles.
Project manager is David A. Wolfe.